1500 Tickets Available For Macy's July 4 Fireworks Celebration Viewing At Roosevelt Island FDR Four Freedoms Park Says RIOC - Online Ticket Registration Opens Wednesday June 30 But Unclear If Ticket Priority For Roosevelt Island Residents As In All Other Prior Years

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) announced this afternoon:

New York's iconic fireworks display returns to the East River this year and Roosevelt Island will once again be a viewing location. The show begins at approximately 9:25 PM on Sunday, July 4th. More details about the show are available at Macys.com.

 

The Cornell Tech campus will be open and available to the public as a viewing location, starting at 12 PM.

• No ticket is needed for access but wristbands will be given out upon entry.
• Entrance is first-come, first-serve.
• All visitors will be subject to airport-style security.
• No entry is permitted after 9 PM. Latecomers will not be admitted.
• For full event details go to: rioc.ny.gov/373

FDR Four Freedoms State Park will host a limited-ticket viewing from 6 PM-10:30 PM.

• Registration is required and will open on Wednesday, June 30th at 1 PM. For details on tickets go to: rioc.ny.gov/587
• 1,500 tickets are available for Four Freedoms Park.
• You can register for up to FOUR free tickets PER HOUSEHOLD using your name, address, and email address.
• Only attendees with tickets will be allowed to enter Four Freedoms Park; no tickets will be available at the door. 
• No entry is permitted after 9 PM. Latecomers will not be admitted. 

All attendees who have NOT been vaccinated against COVID-19 are reminded to kindly wear a mask throughout the event.

Please be sure to review our Prohibited Items list for the event at: rioc.ny.gov/588 and stay tuned for further July 4^th guidance about island transportation, closures, and other important updates. 

Upon any potential safety concerns or overcrowding, we reserve the right to limit access to Roosevelt Island and the fireworks viewing locations. Thank you. 

Absent from the RIOC announcement is any indication that Roosevelt Island residents will receive priority in registering for the online July 4 Fireworks Celebration tickets at FDR Park which has been the practice in all other prior years.

Upon receiving the announcement, I asked RIOC Public Information Officer Amy Smith:

Will Roosevelt Island residents be given priority to get the online tickets as has been done in previous years?

Stay tuned for any update from RIOC to my question about ticket priority for Roosevelt Island residents.

The Cornell Cafe is expected to be closed for July 4.

Captain Jenkins and Chief Brown of Roosevelt Island Public Safety met on Roosevelt Island to plan for the 4th of July fireworks detail to keep you safe. @RIOCny @NYPDQueensNorth @NYPD108Pct pic.twitter.com/psq5mWxroH

— NYPD 114th Precinct (@NYPD114Pct) June 16, 2021

The 2018 July 4 Macy's Fireworks celebration was the last time Roosevelt Island had a great view. Here was the July 4 2018 fireworks finale seen from FDR 4 Freedoms Park.

UPDATE 8:55 PM - RIOC adds:

As we look forward to celebrating Independence Day, the below guidelines will be in effect for the holiday weekend, beginning Friday, July 2nd, through Monday, July 5th for island transportation and RIOC-controlled open spaces and facilities: 

TRANSPORTATION:

• Tram - The Tram will run regular weekend service on 7/2nd, 7/3rd and 7/5th. A rush hour schedule will be implemented on Sunday, July 4th between 7 AM – 8 PM, with both Trams operating at full capacity. There will be no Tram shuttle bus. Please see holiday weekend schedule info at: rioc.ny.gov/302
• Red Bus – The Red Bus will run on its weekend schedule on Fri. 7/2nd, Sat. 7/3rd and Mon. 7/5th. On Sunday, July 4th, the Red Bus will run on the weekday schedule and there will be no Octagon Express bus. Please see schedule at: rioc.ny.gov/368
• F Train - Please plan your travel accordingly and visit mta.info/weekender or call 511 for more information. For electronic updates on F Train service, sign up for MTA Alerts at mymtaalerts.com
• NYC Ferry Service - Please note that ferry service across all routes will end early on Sunday, July 4th. The last Wall Street/Pier 11 departure bound for E 90th Street will be at 4:19 PM. The last E 90th Street departure bound for Wall Street/Pier 11 will be at 4:38 PM. For more info, go to: Ferry.nyc 

PARKING:

Please be aware of the following guidance for island parking and vehicular traffic: 

Beginning Friday, July 2nd at 11 PM through Monday July 5th at 11 PM, there will be no street parking south of the R.I. Tram station. Additionally, parking restrictions will be implemented in the following areas: 

1. Around the entire Cornell Tech Campus (East /West Loop Roads and North/South Loop Roads) 
2. In the vicinity of 250 - 281 Main Street

On Sunday, July 4th:

• No vehicular traffic except for resident, emergency and delivery vehicles will be allowed on the Roosevelt Island Bridge, from 11 AM to 11 PM. 
• Visitor parking at the Motorgate Garage will be limited to ensure adequate parking for residents and patrons with a monthly permit. Residents without a monthly access card should be prepared to show proof of residency when approaching the Roosevelt Island Bridge at Vernon Boulevard.  
• Residents who need to park in Motorgate should arrive no later than 3 PM on Sunday, July 4th to secure admittance into the garage.

FACILITY & PARK CLOSURES 

SUNDAY, JULY 4TH:

• All RIOC administrative offices
• Sportspark
• Southpoint Park, unless you have a valid ticket to the Fireworks event
• Four Freedoms Park, unless you have a valid ticket to the Fireworks event

MONDAY, JULY 5TH:

• All RIOC administrative offices
• Sportspark

In addition, the Public Safety Department (PSD) will be patrolling the island, with extra patrols focusing on parks, recreation and transportation areas.

For further details on the Roosevelt Island Fourth of July Family Fireworks Celebration, please visit: rioc.ny.gov/373

As a reminder, kindly continue to practice physical distancing, wear face masks/coverings in accordance with CDC guidelines (including wearing masks on public transportation like the Roosevelt Island Tram and Red Bus), and take other necessary precautions to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission, such as frequent hand-washing.

Have a safe and healthy holiday weekend!

UPDATE 6/29 - RIOC advisory sent out at 5:49 PM:

It’s almost time to reserve your tickets! Registration for the Roosevelt Island Fourth of July Family Fireworks Celebration will be opening tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30th, at 1 PM. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to register for advanced tickets. Tickets will open to the general public the same day at 4 PM. For details on tickets, go to: rioc.ny.gov/587...

The advisory makes no sense. There is no "advanced" tickets registration for Roosevelt Island residents at 1 PM and "general public" registration at 4 PM. The RIOC web site, publicly available to anyone clearly says that ticket registration starts at 1 PM for anyone, whether or not you are a Roosevelt Island resident.

UPDATE 6/30 1;15 PM:

Tickets were available at 1 PM on the Event Bright web site. By 1:05 they were no longer available.

Am receiving many messages similar to this one from a Roosevelt Island resident:

Who do these tickets go to? I logged on at 12:59 to check and it said it wasn’t available yet. When I logged on exactly at 1pm, and clicked register it said the tickets were no longer available.

I asked RIOC: 

The July 4 ticket registration began at 1 PM. By 1:05 tickets were no longer available.

Is this a glitch in the ticketing system or are tickets no longer available?

Also, the registration page said 1100 tickets were available. RIOC has been saying 1500. Why the discrepancy?

Stay tuned for updates. 

UPDATE 4:55 PM - RIOC announced at 2:30 PM:

We’re sorry you missed it! Registration for the Roosevelt Island Fourth of July Family Fireworks Celebration is now officially closed, tickets sold out. For an alternative way of viewing the fireworks celebration on Roosevelt Island, see details below: 

The Cornell Tech campus will be open and available to the public as a viewing location, starting at 12 PM. 

• No ticket is needed for access but wristbands will be given out upon entry.
• Entrance is first-come, first-serve.
• All visitors will be subject to airport-style security.
• No entry is permitted after 9 PM. Latecomers will not be admitted.
• For full event details go to: rioc.ny.gov/373

 All attendees who have NOT been vaccinated against COVID-19 are reminded to kindly wear a mask throughout the event. 

Please be sure to review our Prohibited Items list for the event at: rioc.ny.gov/588 and stay tuned for further July 4th guidance about island transportation, closures, and other important updates. 

Upon any potential safety concerns or overcrowding, we reserve the right to limit access to Roosevelt Island and the fireworks viewing locations. Thank you.

UPDATE 5:45 - More here.